Hooray! You’re moving to another state! Whether it be for college, your first job or you’ve purchased your dream home with your spouse, this begins a new chapter in your life! You’ve got all of the paperwork sorted out, have already started putting your belongings into boxes, there’s absolutely nothing left to do on your list. Except…what about your Car Shipping?
Sure, you might feel compelled to just drive it along to your new destination, but it’s still a long journey, even if you’re just moving to a neighboring state. If you’re moving across the country from New York City to Seattle, you don’t want to risk anything happening to your car during your big transition, this is where Cheap Auto Transport will come in to help. Also here is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to ensure that your car is best prepared, shipped, and delivered.
Step 1: Check your budget
Whether you’re getting your haircut, picking out a school for your child, or shipping your car to a whole other state, it’s always important to do your research before you just walk in somewhere and getting barraged with a lot of information at once.
One of the most important things to consider is how much this venture of shipping your car will cost. It’s still good to compare and contrast your options to find the best balance of quality and service when researching auto transport companies.
On average, it will cost between $600 and $1,000 to ship a car across the country. It’s typically more expensive to do this during peak summer months, and cheapest during the winter months. It depends on how far you’re shipping your car and what kind of car you own, but just keep in mind this ballpark estimate.
If you have already exhausted most of your budget on picking out the absolute best moving company to pack up and move your stuff and you’re scrambling to find an affordable way to ship your car, no worries! There are plenty of options out there that won’t break your bank. It may end up being more expensive if you try to drive out to your new state yourself if you consider gas, hotels, any road accidents that might occur, etc.
If you’re still stuck on how much you should spend, the rest of the steps should help you narrow it down. Sometimes it’s better to pay extra for more protection for your vehicle, or a faster shipping speed. Whichever option you choose, however, make sure it’s a company that you can trust.
Step 2: Open-air or enclosed?
There are different kinds of moving trucks out there that you most likely have seen whilst driving on the highways. They can carry one to multiple cars at once, and they have different features. Some are open-air transport trucks and some are enclosed transport trucks. Taking a look between the two will help you choose what method is best for your car.
“Open-air” trucks are just like you might imagine, carrying cars without any covering or hoods or anything of the sort. The truck is just trucking away on its route while its cargo is feeling the wind on its headlights. Each car is tightly secured so that it doesn’t move around while the truck moves, even in the windiest conditions. Open-air transport is usually the cheapest option, and there’s more availability across different providers.
“Enclosed” transports are the opposite of open air. Your car has complete protection from the elements as well as added security in general. This leads to an increase in price, but as stated previously, this could be more of a benefit to you as the customer than a hindrance. If you have a fancier car that cannot stand even a drop of rainwater, however, this may be the best method of travel.
Step 3: Select an auto transport company
Now comes the most important decision you will ever make in your entire life. Well, not exactly, but it’s still an important step in your moving journey nonetheless. Selecting a company that will safely and efficiently ship your vehicle to new horizons does require a lot of research and thought, and now that you’ve figured out cost and method, you now have to find the most reputable of the bunch.
There are plenty of good companies who service certain kinds of cars or who are reasonably cheap, depending on what you look for in a company. Most people just go by which one has better reviews and call it a day.
While it may be less important to others who are just trying to get the whole process over and done with, for most people including those who chose to seek out this guide, picking a company matters a lot since they are handling a really important item that helps you to do daily tasks.
When you do check reviews, don’t just look for all five stars, since some people only do that for special discounts on future services. Instead, look for more three or four-star reviews since those people tend to be more honest about what they got. If all else fails, ask a friend which company they used. Back before there were websites like Yelp and Angie’s List, people relied on information via word of mouth.
It’s also a good idea to just call up a couple of different companies to get an estimate on their prices and their overall attitude towards service. Don’t be afraid to let them fight for you to be their customer. At the end of the day, you’re looking for someone to ship your car, and they’re looking for some business.
Step 4: Prepare your vehicle
The contract has been signed, your bags are packed, and your airplane tickets are bought! You are now ready to set off to a whole new state to soon call your home. Actually…there is one more small thing to take care of first. You’ve got to prepare your car to be shipped. After all, you can’t have the people who are going to be handling your car looking inside and be horrified.
Make sure your car looks the best it can be on both the inside and the outside. Take out any trash or flyers that may have piled up, as well as any charging ports. Those will become your new extra traveling chargers until you get your car back, and you’ll be glad to not be without them for a few days. There’s no judgment here, but some people might have preconceptions about what the overall look of a car says about a person. Spoiler alert: a well-kept car displays that you take pride in your possessions.
Give the exterior a nice wash so that it doesn’t get covered in any more dust if you choose to go with an enclosed carry truck. Your kids will also need all of their usual travel toys you usually keep in there for entertainment. Any tablets hanging to the back of the front seats will also need to be taken down in order to prevent any damage or loss.
If your car has any existing scratches or dents before you hand it over to the shipping company, make sure you go around and make a detailed list (and/or take photographs) so that any you discover after you retrieve your car can be corroborated to say that they were caused by the company and not you. This is only the worst-case scenario, but it is a good tip to protect yourself should anything happen.
Step 5: Follow up with a review
Now all that’s left is to leave the heavy work to the professionals and head on down to your new destination with zero anxiety. A lot of transport companies get the job done in a very short amount of time, no matter if you’re going all the way to Alaska, or just to nearby Kentucky. After all, there are tons of cars out there that need to be moved every day.
Once you receive your car and everything is in order, a review is always a welcome tip to anyone who does business right. You can either do this on the company’s website, a review site like Yelp, or even just shouting it from the rooftops to all of your friends and neighbors. However you do it, make sure that the other party knows that what they do is highly appreciated. You never know when you may need to utilize their services again.
Step 6: Enjoy your new home!
Now it’s time to take your car out and explore your new neighborhood! Sign up for carpools, take road trips, and enjoy all of what the state has to offer. There’s a whole new life waiting for you, and you don’t have to pay for Uber.
You chose to ship your car for a reason, as you could’ve just sold it outright and moved to a city where you could just walk everywhere or take the train. Your car is an important part of your family unit, so you want to take it with you wherever you can travel within your own country. Even if it has racked close to a hundred thousand miles but still works like it’s brand new, everyone needs a trusted travel companion to help them navigate through their lives.
